Women's Issues, Peace, Creativity & Spirituality

Monthly Archives: March 2013

Thank you, Dear Kitty, for being so kind as to nominate me for this award!

The rules of this award are:

Thank and link back to the blogger who has nominated you, then post the award logo to your blog, write a post on the nomination and nominate and link to 15 other very inspiring bloggers (as I was recently nominated for this award, I have cut my list to 5). Notify them; and tell 7 things about yourself.

About me:

I would love to go to the Louvre

I would love to go to the Eiffel Tower

I would love to go to London

I want to fly in a hot air balloon (with no surprises attached!)

One of my favorite places is the Smithsonian Institute

I have been to the exact spot where Stonewall Jackson’s arm was buried during the Civil War (it is now in a farmer’s corn field)

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Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young (at heart) princess called the Idealistic Rebel. She loved to blog and she loved the Spring and she loved her family and the holidays of her beliefs, so when Spring came and Passover came with it, she promised her loyal friends in the Blogosphere a surprise, and took herself and her trusty sidekick, far away to visit their family.

They celebrated Passover with their friends and loved ones, and had a lovely time!

The Idealistic Rebel went to sleep in a borrowed princess bed, way up at the top of the treehouse where her family lived, and slept well and long. Then, in the morning, a little sprite came up to the top of the treehouse and tempted the princess with a special breakfast of Fried Matzos. The trusty sidekick had warned against this concoction — “don’t let the exotic name fool you. It’s just fried drywall, that’s what it tastes like!” but the princess was, after all, both idealistic and a rebel and not one for taking advice, so she started to climb down the tree, using the carpeted path that others had used many times before.

And this is what happened to her:

And the moral of our story is:

Don’t promise your readers a surprise before you take a trip, or the Universe may surprise YOU with a trip!

Your Rebel will return as soon as possible to further enlighten, entertain and beautify your world.

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God does still perform miracles. No matter what name you call God/Goddess, miracles happen often. We need to remember to look for them. Even little miracles are just that, miracles.

Whenever humans, Jewish or otherwise are faced with problems that appear insurmountable, we can remember the stories from history. The Jews being held as slaves in Egypt is a very important memory for all Jews. The slaves could not overcome the entire Egyptian country. They were not even able to visualize the concept of possible freedom. They were stuck between the Egyptians and the Red Sea. God had other plans.

God brought plagues and eventually death to the Pharoah and in the end, they had their freedom. All of this happened a long time ago, but there are still miracles each day. The same God who brought freedom and a covenant with the Jews, continues to bring little miracles into our lives every day. Here, in 2013 we can still see miracles. Pre-mature babies survive and thrive into adulthood. Abused children grow into productive, loving adults. Victims of stroke and heart attacks recover and live normal lives. Flowers bloom. Birds sing. And life is a grand adventure we all get to experience.

” There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” —Albert Einstein

” No man can share in the Torah of Moses unless he believes that all our affairs and events, concerning the masses or the individual, are miracles.” —Nachmanides

“The true miracle is not walking on water or walking in air, but simply walking on this earth.” —Thich Nhat Hanh

” All change is a miracle to contemplate; but is is a miracle which is taking place every second.” —Henry David Thoreau

Joannie and I met back in the early 80’s and we became close friends. She was always ready for anything from a night performing to volleyball on the beach the next day. We would dance our feet off all night enjoying the music of the musicians who were friends and in some cases boyfriends. Joannie’s light shone the most when she became ill and spent such a long time in hospital and rehab. She and her husband Paul moved home to be nearer her parents.She was struck down with a virus and paralyzed. She has fought her way back to health and she is the bravest woman I know. She spends her time now helping people and writing poetry and singing. I asked her if I could introduce her to my readers and she graciously said yes. I hope all of you enjoy her work as much as I do.

Joan Papalia Eisert has a B.A. in English from Gannon University. Over the past thirty-six years she has had numerous poems published in small press magazines, newspaper articles, on the Internet, and in Daystar Productions. Two of her poems earned blue ribbons, and one was awarded the Editor’s Choice Award (Sulfur and Sawdust, Scars Publications). Joan’s poetry has also been used in English classes, prison ministry, and various outreach missions. Her first chapbook of poetry, Flat Days was published in 1996. She has read her work at several poetry venues including: Chautauqua Institution (Chautauqua, NY), Erie Book Store, Uncrowned Queens of Western New York’s poetry reading (Buffalo, NY), Mt. St. Benedict (Erie, PA), Maria House Projects’ Diocesan Lodge (West Spring Creek, PA), poetry reading venues in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, and Authors Books and Music (Warren, PA). Joan’s poetry will be published in the premier issue of Mending Reality, and she is currently working on her latest poetry collection, Fluency.
Joan taught a Poetry/Creative Writing class at the Maria House Projects’ Diocesan Lodge in West Spring Creek, PA for 10 years. The Maria House Projects provide homes for troubled men who are in need of community for healing. They include alcoholics, drug addicts, men deeply disturbed emotionally, and men suffering from the effects of homelessness and imprisonment. Joan uses creative writing to help the residents heal through artistic expression. She is publisher/editor of ten volumes of For Pete’s Sake, which are the class’ literary collections.
Joan is also an accomplished singer, performing professional since 1971 starting out as a soloist. She was taught voice by Mary Jane Gregan, and extraordinary vocalist herself, from Edinboro, PA. Joan is half of the duo, Fire and Ice (with her husband Paul), now in their 32nd year of performing together, and she sang in the band, Daystar, for seven years.

STAR-CROSSED

Poised
like an illegitimate mime
my hands pressing shakily
not quite flat
and frustrated
against the glass
I can see you

Bristled
in orbit
beyond deprivation
motioning to you
in stayed surrender
groping for the illusion
of reconciliation

I can only see You

Oh, my God
in the gasp of a miracle
I am with You

INTENSIVE CARE

Oh God are You here
You are here? You are here
This bed is mammoth
I am molding into the noise
vibrations noise digesting me
noise surrender noise
euphoria noise

You are here You are here
I am flaccid in Your hands
the bed is You
Mauve billowy heartbreaking love
You love me You love me
I am suspended surrounded
permeated with the knowledge of You
the love of You
My pores emanate Your love Your mercy

No longer am I paralyzed
as I lay here paralyzed
Machines breathe for me only my eyes can blink
but my soul is dancing my spirit is rejoicing
with unimaginable unspeakable clarity
I become Your purpose I become my life
I become my vision I become my voice in silence
One nerve at a time one tear at a time
one battle at a time one victory at a time

Infinite wounds countless scars
complete prayer gracious mending
until I walk with You again for the first time
I will fall so many times choking on the sludge of despair
over and over again
But You saved me before
when I was maimed starved in worthless oblivion to You

You gave me my beloveds
You gave me the finest silken thread
from which I clung in absolute atrophy
My thanks to You are beyond my realm incapable of tangibility
so I will spend the rest of my days
walking towards Your Light

WASHDAY

it’s hot
it’s hot
it’s monday on her head
again

her melting
dark chocolate baby
sits in the corner
of the folding table
his eyes
lit
with the shiniest duskiness
i’ve ever seen

his cry is thin
she scolds him
as if the warriors of the world
have come to claim
the territory between
her skin and her bones

a sister mother comes by
with a tiny red ball
“catch the ball
can’t you catch the ball?”

mmhmmm
mmm hmmm

catch the ball
can’t you catch the ball
WHAT WE CAN HAVE

If we go to the desert
in stillness, in emptiness
If we let the wind, the sand
the darkness
permeate our visceral souls
If we collapse in utter exhalation
to the hollowing breath of surrender
If we let ourselves be skinned
from the inside out
If we weep, moan, and wail
until the darkness is repulsed
by our heinous forgiveness
we can have peace

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Our founding president, Gloria Steinem, is turning 79 on March 25th and there are 79 reasons why YOU should celebrate with us! Sign Gloria’s Birthday card here:http://forwomen.org/79reasons

G

Gloria Steinem is my role model. She is a feminist and a woman who has given her life to women’ s issues and the problems we face each day in our lives. She was also the head of Ms. Magazine, which I read cover to cover every month. She has inspired and shared the work of changing the way society looks at women. Yes, it has been much worse, much worse.

I have had the privilege of meeting her and talking with her. So I am wishing Ms. Steinem a wonderful birthday and may you have many, many more. Those of us who were on the battle lines with you appreciate what you helped us to do! May it be the best of years.

Help Save a Child

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HANDS UP 4 JUSTICE APP

The Hands Up 4 Justice audio and video APP records encounters with law enforcement. This APP was created to video and audio record encounters with law enforcement for your safety. The best use of the APP once pulled over by the police, turn on the front facing camera and start recording..

Protests – Black Lives Matter

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KEEP EYES ON THE POLICE. NATIONAL POLICE VIOLENCE MAPPING TOOL.

Tool designed to help you hold Elected Officials accountable for police violence.

Hank Johnson Justice Fund

NO JUSTICE, NO MONEY
In the wake of the killings of unarmed black men and boys and the outrageous failure to prosecute their killers, Hank Johnson is introducing the Grand Jury Reform Act. This bill will prohibit the use of a grand jury when determining whether to prosecute a police officer in the event of a death. The status quo isn’t working. The evidence is clear. The people are demanding a real response from their elected leaders.

I am a retired widow with 4 kids and 9 grands. I worked as a nurse, and in Domestic Violence, and many non-profits, I was a donor health counselor for the American Red Cross and am a certified HIV counselor. I worked as a counselor and I have been a make-up artist and selling specialists for several American designers. I love life. I am very spiritual. I grew up in 50's and 60's and truly am the idealistic rebel which is the name of my blog. I love music, books, reading, Kindle, beauty. I am a photographer and an artist. I believe in making the world better one day at a time. I am now living in Asheville, NC.